Hinds CC sets graduation speakers for December ceremonies

More than 800 students for a total of 1,175 credentials are expected to graduate at fall ceremonies at Hinds Community College. The five ceremonies are Dec. 18 and 19 at Cain-Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus.

Students in career-technical programs can earn as many as three credentials, including career certificates, technical certificates and associate degrees. Last December, 734 students earned 808 credentials.

Charlie Mitchell, assistant dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media and an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi, is the speaker on Dec. 18 for the 10 a.m. allied health and practical nursing graduation ceremony and at 2 p.m. for the associate degree nursing ceremony.

He is a 1975 graduate of Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a 1986 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law with a juris doctorate.

He worked for The Vicksburg Post from 1975 until 1983 as a reporter and photographer and then as managing editor and executive editor from 1986 until August 2010. He was on the journalism faculty at the University of Mississippi from 1983 until 1986.

Mitchell is a past president of the Mississippi Press Association and is a past president of the Mississippi-Louisiana Associated Press Managing Editors Association. His weekly column, Conversation, has won state and regional awards and also appears in more than 20 newspapers statewide. The son of a physician and a nurse, one of his recent columns was in praise of nurses. He also won awards for his reporting from Iraq and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

He is a member of the Warren County and Mississippi bar associations and is admitted to practice in state and federal courts.

Janet Wasson, an English instructor on the Raymond Campus and the college’s representative for the Legislature’s Feb. 17, 2015, HEADWAE (Higher Education Appreciation Day – Working for Academic Excellence) program, is the speaker for the Dec. 19 graduation ceremonies.

She speaks at 9 a.m. to academic and career-tech graduates whose last names begin with A to G; at 12 p.m. for those whose last names begin with H-M and 3 p.m. for those whose last names begin with N to Z.

Wasson began her education at Mississippi State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Later, she completed her Master of Science in Education at Mississippi College. She also obtained her instructional certificate for online instructor training at Mississippi Virtual Community College.

Her career began at Starkville Academy, where she taught English and Spanish. She continued on to teach elementary Spanish at Jackson Academy. In 1990, she accepted her first position at Hinds Community College as assistant to the president of the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE) on the Raymond Campus.

During her 24 years of service to the college, Wasson has served as a resource learning assistant, tutor for support services, a writing center assistant, and part-time and full-time English instructor.

Wasson’s professional affiliations include the Mississippi Association for Developmental Education, the Hinds Community College Education Association, the Modern Language Association and the Mississippi Two-Year College English Association.

Also as part of the graduation ceremonies, Hinds Community College will remember Robert Pickett, who was president of the Board of Trustees when he died on Nov. 10, as the honorary grand marshal and mace bearer. His seat will remain empty on stage in his remembrance.

Pickett began his service on the board in 1994, while he was superintendent of the Vicksburg Warren school district. After his retirement in 2000, he continued to serve as an appointed Warren County trustee and was elected president of the board in May 2008. Mr. Pickett previously served as vice president.

“He served this college with distinction, dedication and with an unwavering commitment to always do what was best for students,” said Hinds President Dr. Clyde Muse. “His leadership extended far beyond the monthly board meeting. He was a deliberate and steadfast leader, with wisdom gained over nearly 50 years in the field of education. We have lost a great friend.”

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As Mississippi’s largest community college, Hinds Community College is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with more than 170 academic, career and technical programs. With six locations in central Mississippi, Hinds enrolled nearly 12,000 credit students in fall 2014. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.

Author: Cathy Hayden

Cathy Hayden is a 30-year career journalist with a bachelor's degree in journalism and English from the University of Mississippi and a master of theological studies from Spring Hill College in Mobile. Hayden, who covered education at The Clarion-Ledger for 17 years, came to Hinds Community College in January 2007.